Personal hygiene can be defined as a person keeping themselves clean and presentable such that they are well received by people in public places. There are many different aspects to personal hygiene, all of which are very important to the overall concept. The term hygiene focuses primarily upon the prevention of illness and the promotion of good health. As such, much of personal hygiene focuses on personal cleanliness including but not limited to regular bathing, washing hands after using restrooms, wearing clean clothing, and brushing teeth. A subset and extension of personal hygiene which does not focus on health but instead focuses on personal appearance is known as personal grooming. Personal grooming focuses primarily on personal appearance in public and may include but is not limited to combing hair, cutting hair, shaving, and using deodorants or perfumes. The use of deodorant is a practice which has become very common in the modern world, as having strong or odiferous body odor is generally considered to be unpleasant, often offensive, and indicative of overall poor personal hygiene.
Deodorant can be defined as any substance which is applied to the body in order to affect body odor. Body odor is caused by bacterial processes occurring with perspiration on certain areas of the body such as the armpits and the feet. Deodorants function primarily to eliminate odors and do so by way of specific chemical composition which may also be intended to impede or reduce bacterial growth wherever the deodorant is applied. A subtype of deodorant known as antiperspirants includes chemicals which serve to drastically reduce or stop the production of perspiration wherever the antiperspirant is applied. In many cases, an antiperspirant may be combined with a deodorant, thereby serving to eliminate any odors already present as well as reducing the chance of further odor by removing the moisture vital to the bacteria whose waste products are responsible for the odor. Deodorants and antiperspirants come in several different forms including sprays, solids, liquids, and powders.
These varying forms of deodorant and antiperspirant may be applied to the body in a number of different ways. Spray on deodorants and antiperspirants are typically applied via an aerosol can which allows them to be sprayed onto the body by a user. Liquid deodorants and antiperspirants can also be applied via a roll on applicator which functions very similarly to a ball point pen. Solid deodorants and antiperspirants are perhaps the most common in the modern world, and are typically applied via a plastic casing in which a solid mass of the deodorant or antiperspirant is stored. The solid mass is extruded outwards from the container via a screw rod and push plate type construction. This design is typically referred to as a stick of deodorant, and can be utilized for a long period of time as it has significant reserves of the deodorant or antiperspirant substance.
Bacteria grow and thrive in warm, moist areas of the body and consequently can produce malodor, skin rash, and discomfort. Malodor and perspiration are not exclusive to just the armpits of the body, but can also occur in the inguinal region, inframammary fold, and other body areas where excessive skin folds can be found or contacting opposing skin surfaces that shift and rub (as often seen with obese individuals). The accumulation of moisture and bacteria in these areas can often lead to intertrigo, a common dermatologic skin condition. An applicator that more specifically addresses these other intimate areas of the body for hygienic and or dermatologic purposes is highly desirable and needed.
All of the above described methods of applying deodorant and antiperspirant are well known within the art, and are known to be fairly effective. However, most of the above mentioned methods of applying deodorant and or antiperspirant suffer from two major flaws; their design is bulky and not customized for the more intimate areas of the body such as the inguinal area and the infra-mammary fold, and their balm formulations may not address the more delicate or sensitive skin composition that may be associated with some of those areas. As mentioned, current deodorant and or antiperspirant applicator motifs are bulky and indiscreet, thus not allowing for thorough application in the intimate skin folds and creases of the body. Considering this, it is an objective of the present invention to introduce a novel deodorant applicator which is tailored, useful, and far more efficient at applying deodorant and or antiperspirant to the intimate areas of the body. The present invention is streamlined and very compact such that it is extremely easy to use and is also highly portable. The present invention makes use of a simple friction fit style cap in order to cover a solid mass of deodorant and or antiperspirant; the solid mass can be exposed and the cap doubles as a handle to make application of the deodorant and or antiperspirant exceedingly easy for the user.